I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sport log devices such as the type used in logrolling competitions or for fun and, more particularly, to a lightweight, easily portable synthetic sport log that can be manufactured to closely mimic the behavioral physical characteristics of a natural wooden log such as one of the type used for logrolling when the synthetic log is filled with water and floated in water. This includes buoyancy and mass moment of inertia.
II. Related Art
Logrolling has long been well known as a recreational or competitive water sport. The logs used in this sport, including practice logs, are typically about 6-12 feet (1.85-3.7 m) long and 12-18 inches (38.1-45.7 cm) in diameter and are made of a wood, typically western red cedar, weighing upwards of 340 pounds (154 kg) for a 12″ (38.1 cm) log and up to about 800 pounds (363 kg) for an 18″ (45.7 cm) log. The disadvantages associated with the use of natural logs, including size, weight and interactions with water, and export/import restrictions have made repeated transporting and deployment of natural logs difficult. This has led to attempts to make artificial logs that do not pick up fungi, etc. and are easier to transport and deploy. However, these artificial logs have met with only a minor degree of success to date due to deficiencies in the behavioral physical characteristics of the artificial logs when compared to their natural counterparts.
One design of an artificial log is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,830, which discloses a manufactured log that includes a pair of conjoined, substantially identical, opposed hollow longitudinal cylindrical half sections designed to be filled with water and that may contain circumferential baffles and/or inwardly directed longitudinal flanges attached to the half sections designed to control a log behavior. While that design has met with some success, such a design has still fallen short of displaying the characteristics of a comparable natural log.